Should You Consider Buying An Electric Car?

Environmentally friendly, cheap to run and little to no servicing requirements – It’s easy to see why people are ec-static about the promise of electric cars.

And while we’ve talked about them a lot, it seems Australia has been a little behind countries like China, Norway, Germany and the UK when it comes to starting our engines on electric cars.

So are electric cars just a passing fad, or are they the future of the automotive industry? And if they are, what does that mean for motorists?

We’ve put together a number of exciting benefits that have had us buzzing with anticipation:

The Four Key Benefits of Electric Cars

Green cars

With the move towards renewable energy, electric cars could have huge environmental benefits. Potentially, we could have a future with carbon neutral cars.

Quiet cars

Electric cars will deliver a new reign of peace and quiet to our suburban streets. Current cars run at around 75-80 decibels that’s a lot of noise. On the other hand, electric cars run silently.

Efficient cars

More go for your dough. Petrol vehicles on average lose most of their energy as heat; roughly only 15% of the energy used goes into moving the car. On the other hand, electric vehicles operate at roughly 90% efficiency.

Low maintenance cars

Let’s face it, cars, just like bad partners, can be a little high maintenance. Electric vehicles don’t require oil changes, fan belts, air filters or spark plugs. That’s less replacing parts, less money, less maintenance.

But I’m paying for electricity, am I really saving on fuel?

The short answer is yes. If the average price for electricity is $0.25c per kWh then it would roughly cost you $4.50 to travel 100km. In comparison, at $1.50 per litre it would cost you $15.90 to travel the same distance in a petrol car.

The savings are so significant that even with fluctuations in pricing, electric cars will be cheaper to run more often than not. Advances in solar technology means we may be able to charge and power our electric cars using renewable energy, leading to even further savings.

How do I know I’m not going to get stranded?

Range anxiety is one of the biggest hurdles many buyers face when thinking of switching to electric cars. The key here is to pick a car suited to the kind of driving you plan on doing. The average Australian commute is a leisurely 15.6km. Even in remote regions, it’s only just a tick over 32 km per day. Every electric car on the market can easily cover these distances.

What if I want to go on a long road trip?

Many purely electric cars have a range of 200km, enough to get you from Melbourne to Shepparton, Sydney to Nelson Bay or Brisbane to Noosa.

To go further, planning is key. Plugshare allows you to plot publically accessible charging routes along the way. Using a fast charging station, you will be able to get roughly 80% charge in 30 minutes.

So what now?

With the current benefits to drivers and the environment, it makes sense that most buyers will at least consider electric when choosing a new car.

The exciting thing for future electric car owners is that more public fast-charging units are popping up as their popularity increases, making it easier to take those long road trips. As solar power and battery storage continues to improve, it could be possible to run electric vehicles with huge savings to your bank balance and your carbon footprint.